UFC 308: Ilia Topuria Knocks out Max Holloway
Ilia Topuria’s dominant performance at UFC 308 was a sight to behold. The Georgian phenom made history in Abu Dhabi, becoming the first fighter to knock out the legendary Max Holloway, securing a devastating third-round TKO victory.
Topuria makes his first title defense against Holloway, having recently claimed the featherweight championship by defeating Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. With an undefeated UFC record of 7-0, Topuria has showcased his dominance, finishing five of his seven fights, including a KO/TKO win over Volkanovski and a submission victory over Bryce Mitchell at UFC 282.
Holloway enters the fight on a three-fight winning streak, rebounding from a unanimous decision loss to Volkanovski in a title fight at UFC 276. His recent victories over Justin Gaethje and Chan Sung Jung, both by KO/TKO, have solidified his status as a top contender. However, before this streak, he had a string of eight consecutive decision victories, with a mixed record of four wins and four losses.
Main Card:
- Ilia Topuria def. Max Holloway via third-round KO (1:34)
- Khamzat Chimaev def. R. Whittaker via sub (face crank) (R1, 3:34)
- Magomed Ankalaev def. Aleksandar Rakic via unanimous decision (29-28 x3) blog)
- Lerone Murphy def. Dan Ige via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Shara Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan via TKO (R2, 4:52)
Prelims:
- Ibo Aslan def. Raffael Cerqueira via first-round TKO (0:51)
- Geoff Neal def. Rafael dos Anjos via first-round TKO (injury) (1:30)
- Mateusz Rebecki def. Myktybek Orolbai via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29) | Eye injury
- Abus Magomedov def. Brunno Ferreira via sub (arm triangle) (R3, 3:14)
- Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Chris Barnett via first-round TKO (4:27)
- Farid Basharat def. Victor Hugo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
- Ismail Naurdiev def. Bruno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Carlos Leal via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)
